Timer controlled alarm for ash tray



S. A. ROSSITTO TIMER CONTROLLED ALARM FOR ASH TRAY Filed Jan. 25, 1965lllllllllllllllll- IN VE N TV'OR: Samuel ARossUzo 4 wwmmmRM sv UnitedStates Patent 3,360,790 TIMER CONTROLLED ALARM FOR ASH TRAY Samuel A.Rossitto, 2112 Pyle St, Wilmington, Del. 19805 Filed Jan. 25, 1965, Ser.No. 427,743 3 Claims. (Cl. 340309.1)

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A safety device for the cigarette smoker isprovided which comprises a receptacle, such as an ash tray, which 7 thesmoker uses, and in conjunction with the tray there is an alarm whichthe smoker sets to remind him to put the burning cigarette, the alarmbeing relayed to the user by an earphone. The safety device is designedto afford the smoker a means for awakening him should he fall asleepwithout having extinguished his cigarette.

This invention relates to a smoking device. More paris the source of thefire, there being no means for extinguishing the cigarette. 'As is wellknown, cigarette manufacturers place materials in the tobacco inorder'to keep the combustion going even though the user is not smokingthe cigarette. Other forms of tobacco used in smoking which do notcontain such materials will still burn slowly for a while or will glow,and they, too, are also a hazard when used in the hands of a carelesssmoker. A number of devices have been devolepd in order to prevent theburning cigarette from coming into contact with combustible materials inthe event the smoker falls asleep, but the devices have not beensuccessful in preventing disasters for several reasons. Usually thesedevices involve placing something around the cigarette and holding thecigarette in the device, and most smokers do not wish to be soencumbered and some smokers feel that the use of such devices adverselyaffects the taste of the cigarette. Accordingly, there is a need for adevice which will allow the concerned smoker to smoke cigarettes in thenormal way under conditions where he may fall asleep and yet in relativesafety, being assured that should he doze or fall asleep he will beawakened in time to prevent a disaster.

An object of this invention is to provide a safety cigarette device.Another aim is to provide an alarm in connection with an elementnormally used by the smoker. A still further purpose is the provision ofan ash tray bearing an audible alarm which affords the setting of analarm to go off within a certain period of time. These and other objectswill appear hereinafter.

The objectives of this invention are accomplished by the provision of anelement normally used by a given smoker which element contains an alarmand a means for setting the alarm to go oif within a period of time lessthan the time the given smoker usually takes to smoke a cigarette. Oneform of the device of this invention is an ash tray which containselectrical means to actuate the alarm, the alarm itself and a means toset the time within which the alarm is to sound. It is, of course, to beappreciated that the alarm sounding means may be incorporated intoelements other than an ash tray which other elements are used bysmokers. Such other elements include, for example, a reading lamp, atobacco dispenser and a smoking stand. This invention will be furtherunderstood wit-h reference to the following drawings of which FIGURE 1is a plan view of a portable ash tray alarm of this invention;

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view taken on lines 2-2 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view taken on lines 3-6 of FIGURE 2; and

FIGURE 4 is a plan view of an earphone that may be connected to thesmoking guard alarm.

In FIGURE 1 casing 1v is of any desired shape, such as the rectangularshape shown, and it is made of any desirable material as, for example,metals such as copper, brass, aluminum, and the like or of plasticmaterials such as nylon, phenolformaldehyde resins, polyformaldehyde andthe like. In the top 2 of the receptacle 1 is an ash tray 3 of anydesired shape and design. In the drawings the ash tray 3 is a circular,dish-like ash tray which fits into the recess 4 shown in FIGURE 2. Therecess 4 may be conveniently formed in the pressing or the molding ofreceptacle 1. Attached to the underneath side of recess 4 are aplurality of small magnets 5 which hold the ash tray in place while thereceptacle 1 is being moved or while the ash tray 3 is in use. It is tobe appreciated that this form is a preferred form, but that the magnetsmay be replaced by other holding means. The ash tray 3 may containcigarette bar holder 6, as is conventional with such items. e 7

Also, in the top 2 of the receptacle 1 is a timer switch 7. This timerswitch com-prises a knob or dial 8 and a graduation which shows theoff-position and the startposition along with a division into timesegments of one minute each. As shown in FIGURE 1, the segmentationcarries the time up to ten minutes. In use the smoker will turn the dial8 to the time which he normally uses in smoking a cigarette andpreferably to a time setting which is less than that normal time period.The timer 9 is shown in FIGURE 2. It has as its power source a battery10 which can be one or a plurality of the conventional dry cells. Thus,when the dial 8 has advanced clockwise to the desired time setting or,as shown in FIGURE 1, has returned from the given time setting back tothe start position an alarm will sound. This alarm is in the form of abuzzer 11 which buzzes or rings continually until someone turns the dial8 back to the olfposition, and the device is ready for reuse. Thevarious elements are shown in FIGURES 2 and 3. Conventional wiring 12 isshown which hooks the various devices together. The electrical circuitis of the conventional type and is not shown in detail for convenience,the various elements, the alarm, the battery, the timer, and the switch,being conventional electrical parts that are hooked up in a conventionalmanner. The timing switch 7 in its various elements, for convenience, isshown in a recess position at 13. This position is preferred, because itprevents the inadvertent activating or turning off of the dial 8 byobjects placed on top of the receptacle 1.

In FIGURE 2 thereis shown a jack 14 which is connected to the buzzer 11so that when the jack is activated by plugging in plug 15 the horn ofbuzzer 11 does not sound. Rather, the audible alarm is shunted throughthe wire 16 to earphone 17. That is, the plug 15 breaks the contact ofthe loud buzzer 11 with the power source and at the same time makescontact between the speaker or buzzer in the earphone 17. Here again,the buzz or ringing continues until the switch is manually turned to theelf-position. The power source usually comprises dry-cells and it has alife of about one year. The earphone is equipped with a conventionalholder 18 which may be placed on the ear of the user. Frequently it isdesired that the alarm sound disturb onlytheuser. By means of theearphone extension the user gets the benefits of the alarm withoutdisturbing other people.

It is to be understood that the compositions of the materials, thevarious spacings and the constructions of the various parts are notcritical and may be modified substantially and yet be Within thepresentinvention. It is also to be appreciated that one skilled in the art maymake various modifications in the placement of the elements of thisinvention relative to the various other devices used by' smokers. Suchdevices include coffee tables, night stands, ash tray stands, endtables, cigarette boxes, table lamps, figurines and the like.Irrespective of the particular placement, the size or the shape of theelements of this invention, the smoker is afforded with a means forsetting an alarm before he lights a cigarette under conditions in whichhe feels that there is a possibility he might fall asleep, as, forexample, when he is watching late harm. Also, the devices of thisinvention are useful whether-the smoking is of a cigarette, pipe orcigar-that is, the devices are independent of the form of smoking orthe. item smoked. It is, of course, recognized that human faults are noteliminated by the devices of this invention and that there. are smokerswho might sleep throughthe alarm with disastrous results. However, thedevices 'ofthis invention do afford a means for a smoker to protecthimself and others against careless smoking.

\ Such protection .is desirable and very valuable even though it mayresult in only partial elimination of loss of proper-ty and loss oflife.

'While the invention has been disclosed herein in connection withcertainembodiments and certain structural and procedural details, it is clearthat changes, modifications or equivalents can be used by those skilledin the art; accordingly such changes within the principles of theinvention are intended to be included within the scope of the claimsbelow.

I claim:

1. A smokers device comprising a receptacle; in connection with saidreceptacle a removable ash tray; within said receptacle an audiblealarm, a timer and a power source for said alarm and said timer; a timerswitch positioned on the outside of said receptacle for actuating saidtimer; circuit means, including said timer and said power supply andsaid alarm, for energizing said alarm; and a means for shunting saidalarm to an earphone.

2. A device in accordance with claim 1 which contains a magnet thatholds the ash tray in place.

3. A device in accordance with claim 1 in which the said timer switchonce having activated the said alarm must be manually turned to theoff-position to deactivate the said alarm.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 843,621 2/1907 Mclntire 340-30922,308,037 1/1943 Abadjiefi 340309.1 2,512,775 6/1950 Parissi 340-30912,618,956 11/1952 Hanna.

2,649,753 8/ 1953 Dove.

2,675,693 4/1954 Emery 272 2,681,560 6/ 1954 Shuttleworth et a1. 702732,681,656 6/ 1954 Starkenberg 131-236 2,812,851 11/1957 Kinnebrew 70273X 3,018,877 1/1962 Posavic 131242 3,136,114 6/1964 Jauch 58-3953,205,900 9/1965 Dahl 131238 THOMAS B. HABECKER, Acting PrimaryExaminer. NEIL C. READ, Examiner.

I. I. LEVIN, H. I. PITTS, Assistant Examiners.

1. A SMOKER''S DEVICE COMPRISING A RECEPTACLE; IN CONNECTION WITH SAIDRECEPTACLE A REMOVABLE ASH TRAY; WITHIN SAID RECEPTACLE AN AUDIBLEALARM, A TIMER AND A POWER SOURCE FOR SAID ALARM AND SAID TIMER; A TIMERSWITCH POSITIONED ON THE OUTSIDE OF SAID RECEPTACLE FOR ACTUATING SAIDTIMER; CIRCUIT MEANS, INCLUDING SAID TIMER AND SAID